Rules
by ModernArt2012
Summary: A companion piece to "Of Disney and Dreams". The fictional rules Julia cites in most of the chapters in which she appears. The Rules of Break Ups, The Rules of Getting Over Break Ups, and the Rules of Friendship. Rated T for safety.
1. Rules

**A/N: So, as promised, the so-called "Rules" Julia references in the first chapter of "Of Disney and Dreams". If you haven't read that piece, I suggest you do, it's more fulfilling than a one shot. Plus, it makes more sense having read it. I had some difficulties writing this, seeing as I actually had to make them up as I went. For the record, most of this is complete bull crap, and please don't follow any of this except the "Rules of Friendship" – those are legit and my best friend helped me come up with those. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the b.s. rules Julia references, and the plot of this here fic. Other than that, I am not Richelle Mead and therefore do not own anything.**

* * *

Of the many things that could be claimed about Amberwood, there were many places to not find someone. Julia knew this, seeing as she had been looking for Sydney Melbourne all day and could not for the life of her find the girl. She had seen Sydney's twin (boy, he was yummy), her little sister (that family had all the good genes for prettiness – just look at Jill!), and her cousin (case in point, what kind of karma was it that one family got all that pretty?), but no Sydney. The one time Julia finally had something to show the girl, prove her wrong about something, she was nowhere to be found. In a huff, Julia returned to the spot she had last seen Eddie, Jill, and Angeline. They had moved to the shade of one of the few trees on campus, all of them lounging around the trunk as if they had absolutely nothing better to do. "Do any of you know where Sydney is?"

The three shared a look, almost one of those "_uh-oh, what do we tell her?"_ looks shared between people when they know a thing and can't decide what to tell someone. Finally Jill spoke, "She's… with Adrian." This seemed satisfactory to the other two people, and they relaxed against the tree trunk.

Julia spoke again, nodding slowly, clearly having caught on to the tension in the conversation, "Okay, but when you see her again, will you tell her that I was looking for her?" The group of family nodded, and Julia left, heading back in the direction of the dorms.

It was much later that Julia encountered Sydney, much later as in the next morning. "Good morning Julia, I heard you were looking for me yesterday?" The blonde girl caught up to Julia and Kristin as they walked to campus.

"Yeah, I found copies of the Rules, you know the ones you didn't believe in?" Julia held out a sheaf of papers, clearly copies from a book.

Sydney looked polaxed, "Rules? What rules? Wha – oh, that. Um… I don't think any of these are really applicable." She was blushing lightly.

Julia and Kristin looked at the girl, "What? Why?"

"I kinda went on a date last night." Sydney didn't look up, she was busy peering at the bad copies Julia had made.

"Whoa, Jill said you were with Adrian; so clearly one of you guys is lying." The little group paused, Julia tapping her foot in annoyance.

Sydney sighed, "Why do I always get interrogated? But, I did go to see Adrian to go help him set up his gallery opening, but he got called away, and I ended up setting up alone with Adam."

Julia and Kristin screeched simultaneously, "What? Adam was there?" A bell rang across campus, and Julia hurriedly shoved the papers towards Sydney. "Okay, read over these. And you have to tell us everything later. _Everything_. Rules of Friendship, Rule number one!" The girls split to head towards their first class.

* * *

Sydney sighed, relieved. Kristin and Julia had almost found out. She stared at the list of rules Julia had forced upon her. They all looked like completely pointless rules, but clearly everyone knew them, so she probably had to learn them. Luckily, she didn't need to pay much attention in class.

"Rules:

- Of Breaking Up

1. Don't say their name. Especially if they broke up with you.

2. Trash all personal items or sentimental items - you don't want the memories

3. Don't worry about staying friends.

4. Time is your enemy. Operate quickly. No dwelling, and no going back.

5. Don't apologize. Ever.

6. Keep your distance.

7. Lie when necessary.

8. Don't cry. Be Rosie the Riveter.

9. Don't respond

10. Block Him, on all social networking or social interaction sites

11. Make a clean break of it. At the time, yell, say, curse, whatever you have on your mind or in your heart at that person. It's extremely cathartic and helps sever all ties.

- Of Getting Over Break Ups

1. Get a makeover. Or have a spa day

2. No contact. No ifs, ands, or buts

3. Alcohol = BIG NO NO. Makes everything worse.

4. Get rid of all pictures and things associated with the ex if you haven't already.

5. No reading, talking, or thinking about said person.

6. Get rid of all texts. And get rid of his number.

7. Go shopping

8. Hang out with good girlfriends who will bad mouth your ex with while simultaneously comforting you. And eat Ben and Jerry's and other comfort foods with you on that first day after and watch romance movies with you in comfort clothes. And then work out with you after to get rid of the weight. And then proceed to tell everyone what a douche this jerk is.

9. Get back in the saddle. Show your jerkwad ex who's too good for him by getting a better new boyfriend. And then flaunt it girl!

-Of Friendship

1. Your best friend is the first person to find out about everything. EVERYTHING.

2. Be honest and open with each other. Friends may judge you, but they respect you enough to judge you to your face no holds barred, no punches pulled, Straight talk and no evasions. If they can't do that, then they're not your real friend.

3. Girlfriends before Boyfriends. Or, the female version of Bros before Hoes. The Boyfriends may come and go, but friends are forever.

4. Friends are loyal, they will stand up for you even if you don't ask for it. They will also hold you back if necessary or throw down for you. Whichever way you roll.

5. No dating a friend's ex. Ever. Bad mojo. All the bad mojo.

6. Accept your friends as they are. Do not change them, unless you see them going down a bad path in life or making all the wrong choices or basically self-destructing. Otherwise, they wouldn't be your friends.

7. Laugh together. There is nothing that a best friend will not make better by making you laugh. And they will know how to make you laugh, always.

8. Don't go out with the guy/girl a friend is interested in. See #5 for similar case.

9. No boyfriend/ girlfriend stealing. Also covered in rules 5 and 8.

10. Do unto others, as you want done unto yourself.

11. A friend will know to call you on your bulls****, because a friend will know that something's wrong even if you're smiling.

12. Friends will know the entire secret lingo, like code names and shorthand you use to refer to other people when there's company present. And they will respond accordingly.

13. Friends will hate your exs automatically. It's part of the Code."

* * *

Sydney stared at the lists, sitting down between Jill and Julia. "What the heck, Julia? These have to be the craziest set of rules that I have ever come across."

Julia chewed a bite of her salad, "Well, I never said that they were good rules, or that they made any sort of sense, but that they were rules. And rules must be followed, right?" Jill nodded, Angeline eyed the chicken fingers suspiciously.

Sydney sighed, and then deftly neatened the pile. "And you got it from which book again? These seem like stretches of the idea of rules."

Julia sighed," Sydney, you don't want to know. If you didn't already know which series, then you honestly don't want to know." With a toss of her hair, Julia flounced off, self-righteous.

Angeline leaned forward, conspiratorially, "Did she make any sense to you guys? I swear, she just beat around the bush. Like, a lot."

Sydney nodded, then asked aloud, "I wonder which book they got these rules from?"

Jill laughed, and then whispered, "Gossip Girl!" All three girls began to laugh, carrying their trays toward the tray return line.

* * *

**A/N: FINIS. Okay, so not my best work ever. And this piece is months late, even though I've had it written for ages. I hope everyone enjoyed it, but I already figure it's not great, so it doesn't really matter. As usual, review if you want to, don't if you don't. **


	2. Rules of Breaking Up

**A/N: Because once I posted the first chapter, I was beset with ideas. So, one chapter for short drabble situations with our favorite VA and Bloodlines characters and the rules, not just Sydney and Brayden – this is the heads up. I repeat: NOT EVERY DRABBLE IS GOING TO BE SYDNEY-BRAYDEN. So this chapter – The Rules of Breaking Up.**

**Disclaimer: I own the rules and the plot. Anyone who claims otherwise is lying, see the disclaimer.**

* * *

**1. Don't say their name. Especially if they broke up with you.**

Trey settled down onto the bench, across from Sydney, "What's this I hear of Brayden breaking up with you? Tell me he didn't break your heart, otherwise I'll have to break his neck."

Sydney sighed, "Fine, Bray – mmph! " She was cut off by Julia, who had thrown her hand over Sydney's mouth.

Her other hand waved a sheaf of paper across the lunch table, "Remember the Rules, Sydney! We've been over this one!"

Trey lifted an eyebrow, "Rules?"

Julia drew herself up, self-righteous, "Yes. The Rules of Breaking Up. Rule #1."

Sydney sighed, chewing a bite of the barely passable chicken salad, "The Git didn't break my heart. And you'll have to get in line, three older brothers remember?

Trey sighed, "Melbourne, why can't you be like other girls and burst into tears? And then have me and all your brothers gang up and beat the living daylights out of Brayden?"

Sydney ignored him, "How come he can say Bray – mmmmph!"

Julia peered closely at Trey across the table. "Dude, totally breaking the Bro Code. Bros before Hoes? Hear of it? And didn't you introduce them? Low blow dude. Like, groin shot low. But you get kudos for offering to be a gentleman. One might even think you're trying to make a move on Sydney." She frowned, "Which is also against the Bro Code – seriously, find yourself a copy and brush up on it." She faced Sydney, "As for you, he can say the Git's name 'cause he's a guy. And they're friends. Now I have a class to get to. "She grabbed her tray and flounced off. Trey and Sydney stared after her.

"She's completely off the deep end on this one, right?"

"Who knows, Melbourne. Who knows."

* * *

**2.** **Trash all personal items or sentimental items - you don't want the memories**

Sydney returned to the dorm from a long day of school, ready to simply collapse onto her bed and go straight to sleep. Well, she was up until she found her room's door thrown open and the noises of someone (the less rationale part of her mind claimed _something_) going through her things. Some of her human self's best survival instincts kicked in: _ run away, run away! Actually, see what it is first, but prepare to scream. Must be prepared to scream and run away_. Sydney grabbed the telescoping rod she had gotten from Dmitri out of her purse – not that she could actually use it, but it made her feel safe – as she crept towards her open door.

What awaited her was a sight that horrified her. Her room, her _neat orderly_ room was a _mess. _Like, tornado aftermath mess. What horrified her the most was Julia rifling through her sock drawer while Angeline sucked a sucker off to the side. The rationale part of her brain reminded Sydney that neither had the key to her room. A quick glance at the lock showed it had been jimmied open with a credit card. Either that or someone had taken a blowtorch to it. "What exactly are you doing?" She tried hard to keep the incredulity out of her voice.

Julia looked over, "Hey Sydney! I'm trashing everything The Git ever gave you!" She returned to riffling through sheaves of Latin. "Did he give you stuff in Latin? Wowzers, he's officially the lamest boyfriend ever. Unless they're love notes in Latin, cause then he gets props for being romantic in another language. Still, wow."

Silence pervaded the room, punctuated every now and again by the sound of Angeline crunching on the sucker. For once Sydney was completely poleaxed. She turned around and walked out of the war zone. Julia called after her, "Do you mind if I throw out these broken bangle pieces?"

* * *

**3. Don't worry about staying friends.**

Trey sat at his usual spot at the groups lunch table – in the middle of Eddie and Micah, across from some of his football buddies. They began eating, talking about the teachers and the hot girls - until it nearly came to blows when someone joked about wanting to go out with "the uptight Melrose – the one who acts like a librarian, but's probably really naughty on the inside."

Eddie leaned across the table, his body language screaming "watch out", "Which Melrose?" The atmosphere dropped in temperature.

Jimmie, not noticing the change in atmosphere, "Sydney. I bet she – ow! What the h#$^ man?" Greg had punched him hard in the shoulder.

Eddie glowered, "You mean my twin sister Sydney?" The temperature dropped to at least 70 below.

Greg interjected, "Dude, Trey, that chick you went out with that one time? She's totally giving you the stink eye man."

Trey checked over his shoulder. Ah, Leslie. Too stupid to harm a fly, but pretty. She glanced over at him through her too long bangs – maybe she was checking him out? "Man, she's not giving me the stink eye – I think she's checking someone over here out."

This theory was disproven within the next four seconds, as a cup of hot coffee was poured over Trey's head. "What the - ?!"

Leslie, long beach blonde hair swinging, screamed, "That's for playing me for a fool, you berk!" She stormed off, and the rest of the table stared at the steaming, dripping Trey.

Greg spoke first, "Dude, she was totally giving you the stink eye."

* * *

**4. Time is your enemy. Operate quickly. No dwelling, and no going back. **

Jill stared down at the plate of dull brown mash. The cafeteria servers claimed it was supposed to be eggplant parmesan, but it looked like dog food mixed with bread crumbs and cheese. Micah settled onto the bench across from her, leaning across to kiss her. She tilted her head, letting his lips collide with her cheek instead.

Micah looked at her, eyes full of questions. "Hey, you okay Jill?" She felt sick, but she really couldn't keep stringing him along like this. She didn't want to break up with him and break his heart, because he was so clearly into her, but she couldn't keep up the façade much longer. She sighed, then set down the fork she had been using to stir the glop.

"Micah we need to talk." There, the dreaded words. She could see his eyes go wide, he knew and she knew where she was taking this. It was like a band aid – you had to rip it off quickly, or it hurt a lot worse. She had already put it off for a month, it was time. "I'm breaking up with you." There it was out – like pulling out a splinter. It still hurts, but it didn't hurt as bad.

"W-W-Why? Things are going great Jill! You're amazing and beautiful and smart and everything I'm looking for!"

"To be honest, I just feel like you're rushing me. I don't want to feel rushed in a relationship - not now, not ever. I'm just not ready to give you what you want, and I don't know when I will be. So I'm breaking up with you." Jill picked up her tray, sad on the inside and out. Micah opened his mouth. "Micah, please, don't make this drawn out and painful for both of us. I've been unhappy for a while now, and you know it. You just didn't want to think about it. So, I'm leaving." She swept off while two hearts broke on the cafeteria floor.

* * *

**5.** **Don't apologize. Ever. **

Dmitri watched as Adrian was covered in mud. "You b&%^$! That's what you get for dating my little sister and me at the same time! Pig!" The window slammed shut.

Adrian swore like a sailor, trying to get off as much of the mud as possible. "F&$^%! This was Gucci!"

Dmitri was suddenly glad he had carefully trained himself to have complete control at all times. Otherwise he would have been doubled over, out of breath from laughing so hard. "Adrian, why don't you apologize to both the girls? That would get you out of the proverbial doghouse."

Adrian paused and stared at the guy leaning against the hood of the rental car. "Dude, have you not read the rules? Rule #5, Don't apologize; ever."

Dmitri tilted his head, "Rules?"

Adrian sighed, "Okay. Umm… basically this one says that you shouldn't ask forgiveness cause you've already ruined the relationship and it's not useful to be in a relationship where the trust is already broken."

Dmitri stared, then spoke, "But that never was the case with Rose and me."

Adrian sighed again, fishing out the spare set of clothes from the back seat, "Be prepared, right? Well, think of it this way – Rose never stopped trusting you. And she so there was no need to forgive. Thus, your point is moot." He shook off the mud in his hair, then looked around, "Man, I need a shower."

* * *

**6. Keep your distance.**

The group was walking around downtown Palm Springs, when suddenly Julia grabbed Sydney and pulled her into a grungy tattoo parlor. Everyone followed suit. The heavily tattooed artists and grungy punk goth customers stared at the girls who had entered the shop. Kristin squeaked, "Oh, hi! Um, we're…. browsing! "

The guy with multiple piercings stared then simple stated, "Nice tat," pointing a finger at his face.

Sydney fiddled with her cross, "Thanks." As Kristin pulled Angeline and Jill around trying to make it look like they were prospective customers ("Jill, you want a tat that looks like that weird dragon crest?!") Sydney hissed at Julia, who was investigating industrials and ear cuffs. "Why in the name of all that is good did you drag us in here?!"

Julia held up an ornate ear cuff, examining it and how it would look on her in the mirror on the wall. "Honey, did you not see The Git walking down the street towards us? Don't you remember the rules? "

One of the tattoo artists looked up, hearing the conversation. "Ah, the Rules. Sweet tattoo, doll. Shows some real spine to get your face done, especially the cheek. Joey says you're cool to come in anytime you want, with props like that." She finished stacking the equipment in the sanitizing bins. "While you wait for your d***** bag ex to leave, wanna teach me how to make metallic inks? I figure that you mixed your own." Sydney nodded, while wondering how many people knew the rules.

Jill waved from the counter where the cash register ca-chinged, "Sydney! You should make some gold ink and let me use it for my tattoo!"

* * *

**7. Lie when necessary.**

Lissa was walking the halls of the Court when she ran into Aaron. Christian was off being Christian, and there was nothing more awkward than running into your ex after becoming some more powerful and famous than they were. They stared awkwardly at each other. Lissa's platoon of guards waited in the background, trying to be conspicuous and inconspicuous at the same time, doing it very well.

Aaron swept into a bow, "Queen Vasilissa."

"Aaron Mikaelkov. How are you?"

"Good, and you my lady?"

"Never been better, thank you for asking."

"I will be on my way then, my lady. I wish you a good day." He walked around the group, disappearing into the dark hall.

Rose leaned forward and whispered into Lissa's ear, "You little liar, you." Lissa burst into laughter, and the group proceeded on down the hall.

* * *

**8. Don't cry. Be Rosie the Riveter. **

"Dude, she started crying while you were trying to break up with her?" Micah looked incredulously at Greg. "That's so low. What are you supposed to do in situations like that?" He spit the shell of the sunflower seeds he'd been eating onto the mulch.

Greg shrugged, then took another handful of sunflower seeds. "I know, right? Like, are you supposed to be sorry, even when you're not? Are you supposed to take them back, when you clearly don't want to do so? Or are you supposed to be a douche and just leave them there crying?"

"Dude, who knows? It's not like there's a guidebook to relationships or anything."

Greg brightened considerably, "But there are the Rules!"

"Oh yeah, there are Rules. Good call man!" High fives were exchanged, and then more sunflower seeds were eaten under the sun, until one of the assistant principals yelled at them and chased them for skipping class.

* * *

**9. Don't respond**

"Hey, Sydney, you have a text from Brayden, talking about the break up. What should I do?"

"Jill, just ignore him. It's not like he has anything important to say anyways."

* * *

**10. Block Him, on all social networking or social interaction sites**

"Jill what are you doing on my laptop?"

"Kristin and Julia want me to block The Git on your phone and facebook and email and twitter and just about everything else too."

"Why?"

"I told them about how the Git keeps texting you. And then they cited Rule #10."

"They cited a rule at you. Good God, everyone takes those rules too seriously."

* * *

**11. Make a clean break of it. At the time, yell, say, curse, whatever you have on your mind or in your heart at that person. It's extremely cathartic and helps sever all ties**.

** "**Julia threw a lamp at the wall." The whisper carried across the silent room.

There was a shuffling as a whole bunch of girls quietly made their way to the wall where Angeline was holding a glass to the wall, listening to the escalating conversation that was occurring on the otherside.

Jill fished out a stethoscope, and listened, "Oh. Oh my. I didn't know you could put together words like that."

Kristin listened, wide-eyed and open mouthed, " I didn't know such things even existed."

Sydney, who was getting the blow-by-blow from Jill and Kristin, looked up from her textbook. "Well, technically, you can't. But wow. Julia can rage. Remind me to never get on her bad side."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, end "Rules of Breaking Up." Review if you want to, don't if you don't. Um, quick amendment – I own Jimmie and Greg. They are never mentioned in Bloodlines. Yeah, so until next time,**


	3. Rules of Getting Over Break Ups

**A/N: AND I'M BACK! Yes, 'tis I with another chapter of **_**Rules**_**. My university has begun (well it began in August), but it's starting to get tougher, so my updates/ posting/ even thinking about writing is going to get pretty erratic. It's fair warning, and to be honest, I just write as stress-relief. In other words, please don't hold your breath waiting for anything more from me – if I write more, that is. Also, I finally got around to reading the first chapter of **_**The Indigo Spell**_**. Mhm, looks like someone is in De-Nile, Egypt. Repressed feelings anyone? I think I called that first, just saying…. Here's Getting Over Break Ups!**

**Disclaimer: I own plot, and the two OC's. Other than that, I own nothing. **

* * *

Rules: Of Getting Over Break Ups

**Get a makeover. Or have a spa day**

Angeline stared at the mirror. Kristen and Julia had assured a makeover would totally make Eddie like her more. She wasn't entirely sure that that would work, but she was okay with them doing whatever to her hair. It was only hair after all, and it would grow out. But she never expected this. She had been blonde before. She was okay with blonde, because blonde could be dirtied to look like beams of sunlight in the forest or used to mark a trail almost imperceptibly for someone to follow. Black or brown hair couldn't do that. But her _hair._

Julia and Kristin grinned proudly from behind her. Kristin held up a mirror so that she could see the back and get an idea of the total effect. Julia spoke almost proudly, as if she expected Angeline to completely be in love with whatever they'd done to her hair, "So do you like it? It's totally fitting, we think. It's all kick- $$ and graceful, like you."

She touched a stripe of red-orange, it didn't look like they'd used exactly the same color twice. Her hair was peppered with stripes of red and yellow-orange and orange-yellow and orange-red and black and some bits were bleached platinum blonde. She swallowed back her nausea, not releasing her death grip on the sink edge, "What is it?"

Kristin piped up, chipper as ever as she put down the mirror, "We tiger-striped your hair! It's totally in fashion right now!"

Angeline didn't get a chance to say anything, Jill did all the reacting anyone needed to do as she rounded the corner into the bathroom: "OHMYGOD!? WHAT HAPPENED?!"

* * *

**No contact. No ifs, ands, or buts.**

Jill suddenly back tracked tray gripped tightly between her hands. "Uh, guys, can we sit somewhere else today?" The group had stopped, the early spring air whipping their skirts and hair.

Angeline spoke first, "But the guys have a personal space heater, a battery powered one. So it's warm." Sydney nodded, and Kristin warily agreed as well, but Julia eyed the conclave of bodies speculatively.

A look of sudden clarity passed over her features, "Oh. Jill honey, I understand. Shannon had that fashion magazine with her today, didn't she want to show us." Julia whipped around and practically hightailed it out of the courtyard.

Sydney and Angeline shrugged at each other, and followed. Kristin, who had paused to squint at the group jostling around the personal heater, suddenly caught up, "It's Rule #2, no contact." Then she too breezed past, her boots' wooden heels clattering across the cobblestones. Sydney turned to look, and then she caught a glimpse of Eddie and Micah and Adrian walking up to join them, shoving against one another, laughing. Then she sighed, _no contact._

* * *

**Alcohol = BIG NO NO. Makes everything worse. **

Adrian woke up to a splitting headache. _Hangover_, he thought bitterly, then promptly gave up on thinking as his head split open via a lightning strike of pain. He closed his eyes against the bright sunlight – _why didn't I close the curtains last night? _– and gingerly felt around for his cell phone. He touched the power button, and the screen flared to life. His eyes, already sensitive to light, were seared by the light.

"What the –?" He mumbled, mouth dry and chalky. "27 unsent texts to …" he scrolled through the texts, all variations of love confessions, wondering why the receiver won't love him, or begging her to come back. Just as he thought, they were all to the same person, "F%^^&." He ran a hand through his hair, then along the stubble growing on his chin. Resolving himself, he picked up his discarded phone, and dialed the contact he'd been texting all night, "Hey, Sydney…."

* * *

**Get rid of all pictures and things associated with the ex if you haven't already.**

They held a bonfire for getting rid of past relationships' memorabilia, once a month because Julia needed them at least that often. Angeline was always the one who started them, because she could do it the fastest out of all of them, and she was the best at doing so. Julia and Kristin had a special spot staked out in the untamed flatlands far from the dorms, and everyone was welcome – the red-haired demoness Laurel showed up, to burn a letterjacket and some jewelry, a few more girls came trickling in. Pictures, teddy bears, notes, a dried out rose, and other articles were burned and everyone stayed to watch the embers burn out. "Catharsis," Sydney explained in a hushed whisper to Angeline, "They feel better by getting rid of the stuff with memories, get rid of their anger and hurt by burning the stuff."

Angeline cocked here head, staring up at the night sky, "So why haven't they burned down the school yet?"

* * *

**No reading, talking, or thinking about said person.**

Trey settled onto the bench at the bus stop besides Sydney, "You don't really miss him, do you?"

She looked up from her pages of Latin, "Who are we talking about?"

"Brayden."

"Oh, well, yeah, I don't really miss Brayden at all –" She was cut off by the sound of Adrian's car swooshing up to the curb. "Hey, Sydney, need a lift." He glanced at Trey, then looked at Sydney's face, "If Julia finds out you've been talking about him, she's going to throw that book at you again. And then worry about whether or not you're about to burst into spontaneous tears at any given moment, and subsequently put us all on high alert for such situations." He popped the door open. "Sydney, please don't make me carry around bags of chocolate again. My masculinity can't handle the pressure of have a satchel mistaken as a man purse repeatedly."

As Sydney climbed in, reluctantly, Trey snarked at Adrian "You still have masculinity left?"

* * *

**Get rid of all texts. And get rid of his number.**

_Da-dun_. Click, click. _Da –dun. _Click, click. _Da –dun._ Click, click. "Jill, what are you doing?"

"Sydney what do you think I'm doing?"

"Deleting a lot of stuff from your cellphone, but it's rather annoying."

"Yes, yes I am. That way, nothing is holding me back in the past and I can move on to a better relationship."

"Then why are you punching the keys so hard? It sounds like you're about to break your phone."

* * *

**Go shopping.**

Julia swept in, arms laden with bags and her eyes sparkling. "Hello, Amberwood Prep!" She called to the lobby, tottering on brand new heels like a super model.

Eddie leaned over to Trey, agog with shock, "It looks like she bought the whole shoe department." Trey, who was engrossed in the _ESPN Swimsuit Edition_, looked up and stared at the mountain of bags growing in the lobby. Then they saw who else was coming through the lobby doors, and they paled to the point of being ghosts.

In came Kristin, then Jill, then Sydney and Angeline, all buried under a small cave's worth of items. More so Sydney and Angeline, they looked as if they had been drafted as pack mules this time.

Trey, without peeling his eyes off the Mt. Everest of shopping bags quickly growing in front of them responded, "Eddie, I think they bought the whole store." They looked at each other, and without another word fled the scene.

* * *

**A/N: And ta-da! Okay, it probably sucks, and I know it. That's okay though, because it's an update! Hurray! Umm, yeah, I feel like they're all being OOC, but I never did get Sydney's character right in any of my other works, but maybe that's just me. Anyone else like my fluffy bits? I enjoyed those, especially Rule #2, which isn't my favorite piece of writing in this particular work, but the Syridan fluff was nice to write. It was like finding your favorite fuzzy socks after a while, the same sort of easy warm fuzziness of writing a ship that you used to write a lot for. Review if you feel like it, don't if you don't. Until the next time I update, which might be a while from now, yours**

**ModernArt2012**


	4. The Last Two Rules

**A/N: And this is me realizing that I completely forgot two of the Rules of Getting Over Break Ups. Incidentally, this is going to be the hardest two to write, since I had half a mind to pretend I never meant to write these two drabbles ever. But my conscience has overcome my pride, so yous guys get this. I'm getting around to the next one, I promise. Don't get your socks in a knot.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and my two OC's. And the Rules themselves, since someone out there decided to borrow those with my consent and without crediting me. **

* * *

**8. Hang out with good girlfriends who will bad mouth your ex with while simultaneously comforting you. And eat Ben and Jerry's and other comfort foods with you on that first day after and watch romance movies with you in comfort clothes. And then work out with you after to get rid of the weight. And then proceed to tell everyone what a douche this jerk is.**

Mia wept into the tissues she had tightly grasped in his hand, mascara running down her face like black streaks down her china doll complexion. "And – and then he said I was a fat ugly loser with self-image issues and that I was psycho! Can you believe him?" She dissolved into a sniveling mess, her Ulquiorra-decorated pajama-pant clad legs curled in front of her as she fell against Rose.

Lissa handed her the tissue box, "There, there Mia. Do you need me to send Rose to straighten him out? I'm sure I'd love the pleasure of being able to do so." Her grin was Machiavellian, sly and as full as a cat's and just as full of retribution. Lissa's navy t-shirt design was faded, it looked like a remainder of her older brother's wardrobe.

Rose awkwardly patted Mia's head. "Yeah… I'm sure if I just talked to him a little... With my fists?!" Rose scrambled as Mia began to cry harder, "Um, I'll bring Dmitri?! And Eddie!? And Hans and Abe!?" She kept trying to console Mia, but over the top of her head mouthed to Lissa, "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!"

Jill held out a container of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia. "Mia, I'm sure ice cream will help. If not that, we have chocolate and the entire Disney Princess collection?"

Sydney piped up from the corner where she was perusing an old spell book, "And if not, there's a chemistry experiment that I'm sure we'll all enjoy – we can get his family jewels to fall off! And if not that, well, there's this old book I have that will pretty much do the trick." She grinned wickedly. "Oh, Kiernan will so deserve losing all his muscle tone. Does that sound good? Or is that too … nice?" She wandered away to make unbuttered popcorn.

Rose spoke the thought they all were thinking, "Remind me to never, ever get on her bad side. Ever." Jill and Lissa nodded in affirmation.

Mia looked up from her smudgy drowned raccoon eyed reflection in the glass coffee table, "Guys, I just wanted to say thanks for coming and being, being… being such good friends! WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT YOU GUYS?! PASS ME THOSE TISSUES!"

Sydney, back from making popcorn, frowned as Jill snatched the bag from her. "No, Sydney, at Girl-Powwows-Hating-on-Douche Nights, we eat ice cream and chocolate and cheesy fries and fried chicken and worry about calories later."

Rose and Sydney looked at her alarmed, "But when am I supposed to work off all that weight?"

Mia cried into Lissa's shoulder, "And I thought he was THE ONE, you know?" Her small shoulders heaved painfully, her thin frame wracked with sobs and gasps for air, "And he was cheating on me with some sl** from Omaha. WHERE THE HELL IS OMAHA?!" Her voice cracked as it reached at least High C.

Jill eyed the mess that was Mia. "Rose, Sydney, we work it off later, together. That's the way this thing works. Get fat together, work out together, bad mouth guys together. Get the jist?"

Rose muttered to Sydney, "I don't really get it, but I'd totally prefer 'live together, die together.' Makes more sense in my line of work."

Sydney nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, you know?"

Jill popped in a movie, "Hey, Mia? How about we watch some _Cinderella_? That'll make you feel better. "

Mia wiped under her eyes, and nodded, "Yeah, lets. My throat hurts from crying so much. Some one pass me that Chocolate Therapy Ben and Jerry's." She paused, midway through lifting a scoop of the rich ice cream to her mouth. "Wait, first, let's blow up Twitter and Facebook with how much of a douche Kiernan is. That'll teach him." She pounded her fist resolutely into her knee. "Yeah, since I have a picture of that sl** queen's ultra-sound. That way everyone will know he's slept with some slag who probably has venereal diseases!" She smiled, watery-eyed, "Who's with me?"

The overtures to the classic Disney opening blasted through the speakers as Rose pityingly patted Mia's shoulder, "Honey, we covered that around four hours ago. Right now, Sydney's in the middle of orchestrating a staged Strigoi attack on him." Rose turned to the rapidly talking Alchemist and hollered in the dim glow of the television, "Oi, Sydney, just tell Abe that I, his beloved only child, want this really badly. With a cherry on top and I might even throw in some pictures of Mom!"

* * *

**9. Get back in the saddle. Show your jerkwad ex who's too good for him by getting a better new boyfriend/ girlfriend. And then flaunt it girl/boy!**

As Adrian waited patiently in the dimly lit restaurant, he wondered what exactly was taking Sydney so long. Sure she could drive really well, and sure she was Miss Independent and sure, she was more than a little paranoid about being on time, but Adrian figured he had been in the swanky new Chinese place for at least fifteen minutes. The lanterns hung outside the booth provided the only other lighting except for the lantern in the middle of the cubicle. He checked his watch, pushing up the sleeve of his black blazer and his charcoal grey shirt. Then he straightened his snowy white tie. It would not do to look unprofessional when he knew Sydney would be just as professional. He took a sip of the sparkling grape juice – no alcohol tonight, unimpaired judgment and all that.

Sydney hurried in, her navy blue fitted dress screamed of Jill's closet, not her's. For one, it was a bit too mainstream media version of business, with its figure hugging silhouette and tight hemline. Not that he minded. It was nice to see her out of the drab clothing he was used to her wearing, because this was something that was like Crème Brule – too rich to have every day, something better savored every once in a while. He stood up as she spoke, "Sorry I'm late. There was a minor incident with some guy repeatedly running into Eddie's fist." She frowned, "Or was it Angeline's knee?" She smiled, shaking her head, "In any case, you said you needed my help?"

Adrian shifted in his seat, "Yeah. I figured you know a thing or two about the stock market and banking and stuff like that, hm?" He caught the waiter's eye and gestured him over. A fresh glass of sparkling grape juice appeared in front of them both. Soon after, a steaming bamboo tray of dumplings appeared, as well as wontons and spring rolls.

Sydney smiled broadly, "Figured you'd get the waiter to pick?" Her tattoo glistened in the lantern-light, and Adrian took it as a sign to quit staring at the smooth column of her neck, and the shadows created by her clavicle, and the way the hollow at the base of her throat pointed directly at - yeah, he was going to stop himself now.

He smiled back, slightly uncomfortable. "Actually, this restaurant is famous for serving you whatever the chef thinks you'll want. No menu, no choices. You eat what you get. And I asked you here because, a) when do I get to take a pretty girl out to eat, and b) I'd like your advice."

Sydney took a sip of the grape juice, "Mhm? What do you want my help with?" She picked up the stainless steel chopsticks, lifting up a bite of the wontons to take a delicate bite off of.

Adrian sighed, then pulled out an envelope from his inner pocket, "Well, I'd been saving the allowance I get from my father, and I decided to invest it into some pretty lucrative markets."

Sydney looked up from a bite of spring roll, "Dear God, Adrian, did you go bankrupt?"

Adrian stared at her from across the low round table, midway through chewing a dumpling. He swallowed, "Uh, no. If you'd look in the envelope, which contains all the pertinent documents, you'll see what the issue is."

Sydney looked, then stared at him, then looked again, "A notice that you're being audited by the IRS? Why?"

"Keep looking." Adrian gestured with his chopsticks.

Sydney started coughing when she turned to the first page of the file, "You made how much in the stock market?!"

Adrian sighed, "Exactly what the IRS wants to know. But see, the thing is, while they think I have some insider trading thing going on, I'm really just doing it all on a hunch. A gut feeling, nothing too snazzy."

"Adrian, no one can make eleven million dollars in the stock market in a month."

The waiter returned, with soup dumplings, some jasmine rice, Manchurian Style Hakka Noodles, Schezwan Style Bazzia, as well as two small intertwined Mandarin Ducks that had been expertly roasted. "You can, clearly, especially if you invest in the money markets, and the precious jewels and metals markets, and the oil industry."

Sydney glared at him over the top of the lantern, then went to grab a chopstick full of the noodles. Suddenly, a voice interjected, "Adrian? Sydney?" The two turned to find a very dressed up Rose and Dmitri standing parallel to their cubicle. "What are you doing here?" Her voice turned sly and suggestive, "Are you on a date?"

Sydney almost said no, and Adrian almost said yes, but they both eyed each other instead of answering. "Aw, isn't that cute, Comrade? Caught red-handed." Rose snuggled against Dmitri, "Remember back in the days …" Dmitri smiled indulgently, and then dragged Rose off to their cubicle.

Adrian sighed in relief, and Sydney slipped the files back into the envelope. "Adrian, you're right this could be serious trouble for you. I'll have the Alchemists clear it all up before you get audited."

He grinned, and then stood, gallantly offering his arm, "Well, then, dinner is on me, and I will walk you out to your car." Sydney laughed, then took his arm, linking them at the elbow. They stood at the doors, waiting for the valet to bring Sydney Latte and Adrian his unnamed car. Just as the valet pulled up, Adrian took the chance as Sydney turned back to face him. He swiftly pressed his lips against hers, quick yet insistent, and dipped her simultaneously. Her righted her, then winked, "Goodnight, Sydney Sage."

If Sydney had turned back to look, she would have seen a taken aback Rose and a slightly bemused Dmitri staring out the front window. But she didn't, and so she will never know what exactly brought about Adrian's sudden urge to play romantic hero.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, they're long. I decided to make them long because I messed up with the last chapter. So congrats! More stories! And yes, I had to use Disney movies, since I myself hate _the Notebook_ and _the Titanic_ and all those other gushy mushy romances, so I refuse to subject fiction characters to that. Also, yes, I did use Rose as the jerkwad Ex for Adrian, because let's face it. She broke Adrian. And played him and cheated on him. She's not exaclt ythe best person ever, so I had to use the opportunity. Besides, who else could I have reasonably used - Jill and Trey with Micah being the ex? Which, in hindsight, might have been cool... Besides that, review if you feel like it, don't if you don't. Until next chapter, stay beautiful.**

**ModernArt2012**


	5. Rules of Friendshi

**A/N: Hello sweetings! Tis I again, and apparently, I have been mistaken – there is a Greg somewhere in **_**Bloodlines**_**, Greg Slade. Thank you to Toni for catching that, but I honestly meant for my "Greg" and "Slade" to be two separate people. I also will take this opportunity to apologize for the delay in updating, but some of these ficlets didn't turn out very well, and I wasn't going to put out worse crap than I normally do, which is why this is really really late, later than the usual late. My bad… So we have neared the end of our **_**Rules**_**, and so it is nearly time to bid adieu to this particular story compilation/ drabbles. Let me also take this opportunity to apologize for the fact that some of these Rules are clearly geared towards females, since I didn't particularly mean for them to be, it just worked out that it was easier since all the characters I originally used in the first chapter of "Of Disney and Dreams" were female.**

**Disclaimer: Disclaimers are like the STD's of FanFiction, nobody wants them, almost everyone gets them. I own nothing but the ficlets and their corresponding plot. Anything else isn't mine, nor will it ever be.**

* * *

**1. Your best friend is the first person to find out about everything. EVERYTHING.**

Lissa stared at the test, stared at it like her life depended on it. She was too young for a scare like this, and to be honest, she wondered how she could be late. Granted, a few days is nothing to be worried about, but almost a week? They always used protection, and she used the pill, as well as the morning after. Which lead her exactly here, eying a timer as a stick scanned her urine for hormones or something like that.

Rose yawned, sprawled on the three-seater couch almost like a sunbathing cat, "Liss, trust me on this, it's like ripping a Band Aid off – you have to do it all in one fell swoop."

Lissa turned to face her best friend, "Rose, what would you know about this sort of thing? Last time I checked, you've never even had to take one."

Rose considered, then stretched some more, "It's true, but Mom had to take one recently. I told her the same thing, and then she Guardianed up and checked. Which is why she knows she's four months pregnant and not just getting fat."

Lissa frowned. "Your mom's pregnant?"

Rose nodded, "And Abe's the father. And guessing from the way she had a ring tattooed on her ring fingers and Abe now sports two new rings he's never worn before – wait, Liss, are you trying to distract me?" Rose scruntized Lissa's poker face. "You're trying to get me off on a tangent. Okay, that's not going to work. Go check the test. Go on now, shoo."

Lissa sighed, reaching over and grabbing the plastic strip. She checked the directions, then the strip. Finally she let a bright, relieved smile cover her face, "Rose, it's negative! Pass me my cell phone, I have to call Christian."

* * *

**2. Be honest and open with each other. Friends may judge you, but they respect you enough to judge you to your face no holds barred, no punches pulled, Straight talk and no evasions. If they can't do that, then they're not your real friend. **

"So you're in _love_ love with this dude?" Alberta stared at Janine. "You're kidding me right? THE Janine Hathaway, the one woman army, the single woman who declared that she would never have children or get married or any of that, and I quote, 'gooey stupid Disney fluff he-treats-me-like-a-princess-I'm-so-in-love-with-him crappy nonsense', is in love." She ran a hand through her brunette hair. "Is the Apocalypse coming today or tomorrow?" She eyed her best friends face, then scowled, "Dear fracking God! It's worse than I thought!" Alberta bit her lip, then bluntly, "Janine, I know this guy, and no matter how much you love him, he's bad news. Real bad news. You should stop being involved with him." Alberta scrutinized her friends face. " #%$^ *$%& (!" She swore furiously, "It's a bit too late, isn't it? Dammit, where's my stake? Someone's got to introduce himself to my fist."

Janine stared after Alberta, then at her stomach, "I'm not that far along, am I?"

* * *

**3. Girlfriends before Boyfriends. Or, the female version of Bros before Hoes. The Boyfriends may come and go, but friends are forever.**

Adrian watched as Julia stormed into his apartment, eyeing the human speculatively. "Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?"

Julia glanced at him, quickly looking away to survey the room, "I'm here looking for Sydney. Jill said she might be here." Then she did a double take. "Wait, you're her really hot older brother!" She blushed furiously, then stuttered, "S-s-sorry! I thought this was like a secret love-nest that Sydney and everyone kept for themselves."

Adrian sighed, then dipped his brush in turpentine to clean it, "Well, our parents originally bought this apartment for Keith, since he had work here, but his job moved, and so now I'm living here. You said you were looking for Sydney?"

Julia nodded, still red in the face, "Yeah, like I said, I thought this was a love nest, and I thought she was secretly meeting a guy here and, well, you know, it doesn't really matter, because I'm clearly wrong, so I'm going to leave now…."

Adrian paused, then stared at her dumbfoundedly, "Why were you so worried? Sydney's too good to do anything untoward like that."

Julia fisted her hands by her side and looked at her feet, "W-w-well, you know, the whole bros before hoes works with girls too…."

Adrian cradled his face in his hand and shook his head in disbelief, "That's what you thought? That she was keeping some big secret that you ought to have known as her friend? Sydney – that's not Sydney's M.O."

Julia colored more, "I-I know that now!" She hurried out the door, slamming it shut in her haste. Then she stormed back in, pointing a finger directly at Adrian and speaking loudly, "If you see Sydney, tell her I need to speak with her!" She slammed the door once again.

As Julia hurried away, she pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket, "Dammit Kristen, I chickened out again…"

* * *

**4. Friends are loyal, they will stand up for you even if you don't ask for it. They will also hold you back if necessary or throw down for you. Whichever way you roll.**

Mia stared aghastly at the Moroi who was smirking at her from down the hall, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "B-b-blake! Please, you can't mean that!" Her lips quivered and her knees threatened to buckle. "Tell me it's not true!"

His harsh tone cut through the air, "Tell you that I _don't_ think that you're a needy emotional slag? That I _didn't_ only go out with you because I knew you were an easy shag?" It seemed like the whole of the Court was watching the confrontation, and his laugh rang across the courtyard that the hall bordered, severely, echoing hollowly.

"Oi! Mia! Is this f&$%^er messing around with you?" The solid thumping of combat boots with the steel toes could only mean Rose; she had been wearing those boots all the time since Dmitiri gave them to her for her birthday. Her chesnut hair swung behind her head in a ponytail; she was off duty. Lissa stood stonily at the far edge, regal power emanating from her icy gaze.

Mia wiped the bottom of her eyes, "I'm, I'm – "

Rose cut her off, "Mia, don't lie. Oi, Lissa!" Rose half turned to watch the Queen.

Lissa stared hard at Blake, then sliced her hand across her throat in a hard, swift motion, completely at odds with the kind, politically savvy Queen the Court had seen before.

Rose smiled toothily, "Your wish is my command, M'lady. Dmitri, hold him." Her tone turned kindly, "Mia, will you hold my earrings, please?" Mia nodded, and took the tiny rose studs in her palm. Then Rose pushed up her sleeve, and ran at Blake.

* * *

**5. No dating a friend's ex. Ever. Bad mojo. All the bad mojo.**

Sydney blew into the top of her latte, inhaling the fragrant steam that wafted into her nose. Then she glanced at Rose, who was currently talking to Dmitri about how, no, she would not babysit Alberta's nieces because though she loved kids and enjoyed babysitting his niece, that was because she was practically her aunt and aunts babysit their nieces. She hung up with a huff.

Rose took a swig of her coffee, black, then nearly immediately began coughing, "D*$&, that's good stuff. Nice and strong, just how we like it, but wow, I need to get used to fresh coffee again, cause that was HOT." She took another big gulp. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Sydney eyed the red head ruefully, "You are some kind of masochist, aren't you Rose?" She sipped her latte, then licked the foam off her lip, "Rose, would you say that we're friends?"

Rose whipped around to look at her, startled, "Yeah, I would. Why?"

Sydney looked as if she had seen God Himself, "Nothing, nothing at all. Thanks Rose, you were a real help!" She impulsively hugged Rose, then grabbed her coffee and dashed out into the crisp sunny fall afternoon towards Latte.

Rose picked up her cell phone and called Jill, "Do you know why I was just asked by Sydney if we're friends? And got hugged? Has she been experimenting with her chemical set again?" Rose's tone belied her suspicious thoughts.

"Oh, that? She's still nowhere near ready to face her feelings is she," the voice sighed, mumbling mostly to herself, faintly. Her voice got louder, "Well, if you guys are friends, and Adrian is your ex, then Sydney can't get with her friends ex because it's against the Rules."

Rose smirked into the cardboard top of her coffee cup, "Now she's using the Rules to her advantage. I have to hand it to her, that's ingenious."

* * *

**6. Accept your friends as they are. Do not change them, unless you see them going down a bad path in life or making all the wrong choices or basically self-destructing. Otherwise, they wouldn't be your friends.**

Dmitri watched as the orange haired guy with a massive sword was attacked by the small girl, then looked at Paul and his friends as they watch, enraptured by the small girl who was berating the orange haired one. He didn't really understand what they were saying, because it was in Japanese, but clearly Paul and his friends did. Those online Japanese lessons clearly had been of some use, since his nephew was pretty much fluent as demonstrated by his obsession with watching anime in Japanese and without subtitles. It was an ad break, and Paul was debating with Alexi about who was cooler.

"Hat-and-Clogs is way cooler! He's all mysterious and hats-and-clogs-y!" Paul argued, "And besides, that cat did nothing really awesome."

"No way! The cat is the best part!" Alexi ticked off on his fingers, "First off, he's like an all knowing cat, and pretty much knows everything. Second, he's everywhere and can get pretty much wherever. Who's going to notice a cat? Third, he's got this awesome voice. Hat-and-Clogs' doesn't really go with the way he seems. Third, cat runs really fast. Hat-and-Clogs doesn't do much but taunt. Cat teaches and taunts. Very subtle difference, but important."  
Paul eyed Alexi as if he had suddenly been revealed as a demon, "Alexi, my friend, as my Aunt Rose would ask, are you smoking something?"

Alexi, twisted up his face in annoyance, then quickly sprang his fist out and neatly clipped Paul in the jaw, "Paul, quit using your crazy aunt's Americanisms in Russia. It doesn't work. And second, she's not really your aunt."

Paul sprang up enraged, "What was that for?!"

Alexi stared back at Paul, "Dad says that whenever you see a friend going down a bad path in life, you should immediately attempt to correct them. So I corrected you."

Paul spluttered, "For what?!"

Alexi took a swig of the Coca-Cola in his hand, "For liking Hat-and-Clogs better than Cat-san."

Dmitri had to stifle a laugh as his nephew started acting like the characters on the screen, whacking at Alexi halfheartedly, half annoyed half bemused. He would have to tell Rose that Paul's friends knew her as the "Crazy American Aunt". She would be thrilled…

* * *

**7. Laugh together. There is nothing that a best friend will not make better by making you laugh. And they will know how to make you laugh, always.**

Jill liked being able to laugh. Laughter was good for the soul and had saved her more than once from going completely off her rocker; like how she had laughed maniacally after dying and becoming Shadowkissed. The Guardians had given her some really weird looks about that. But this was too much. She tried to stifle her laugher in the throw pillow Adrian had sent her, but it wasn't working out too well.

Angeline stared at her, dripping milk into the basin of the sink in their room. "This. Is. Not. Funny," she ground out.

Jill waved the air in front of her face, trying to calm down, "No, no it's not. It's hilarious!" She wiped a tear from her eye, "I mean, first they dye your hair like a tiger, and then you try to bleach it out?"

Angeline glared at her, "Well, I didn't know that the bleach would burn my scalp unless I diluted it with milk after little while!"

Jill chuckled into her fist, "Yeah, but it was pretty funny when Sydney drenched you in that gallon of milk in the middle of the lobby. You have to admit that right? Just – whoosh! All over you, slicing it open with her keys!"

Angeline looked away, red in the face but smiling, "Yeah, it was kinda funny to see her face when she learned I had bleached my hair, and that my scalp was on fire."

Jill began to laugh anew, "Yeah, and I loved the look on everyone's faces when you told them you were bleaching your hair blond so you wouldn't get kicked out!"

Angeline turned redder but laughed along as well, "Hey! I've read the student handbook! You can't have funky colored hair, and I figured that tiger hair fell under the definition of 'funky'. You can't blame me for keeping myself in school." She fingered the bleach blonde hair, then called to Jill again, "Do you think I'll need to dye this back to normal, or should I leave it the way it is?"

* * *

**8. Don't go out with the guy/girl a friend is interested in. See #5 for similar case.**

Adrian eyed the two boys sitting on his newly reupholstered living room coach. He really wanted a cigarette, because at this moment, quitting seemed like a terrible idea. He sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose; he wasn't Dmitri or Sydney or Lissa, he wasn't cut out for this sort of thing. Nope, Adrian Ivashkov wasn't made to play counselor.

"So, let me get this straight? Micah, you punched Eddie in the face because you thought Eddie was going out with Sarah even though you'd already told Eddie that you really like Sarah and were thinking about asking her out? How did you come to that conclusion?"

Micah nodded, eyes gleaming, "Eddie and Sarah acting sneaky so I followed them and I saw them going shopping in the mall and getting food court food and sharing a box of fries! If that wasn't a date, then I don't know what is!" He pounded his fist on the small metal coffee table Adrian had built in his metalworking class, shaking its fragile frame.

Adrian yelped and steadied the impossible shape, "Hey! Watch it! This was made to be aesthetically pleasing, not functional!"

Eddie groaned around the bag of frozen peas he was holding against his jaw, "Micah, I told you, it wasn't like that!"

Micah rounded on Eddie, "Oh, then what was it? You should be able to tell me Eddie, we're bros after all. Plus, you know you broke the Rules!"

Adrian slammed both his hands on the table, "Okay, that's enough! Micah, quit bringing the Rules into this mess, I've heard enough about them. Eddie, I think we need to fess up."

Micah smirked, satistfied. Then Eddie turned to him and said, "Micah, Jill was planning you a surprise birthday party, and Sarah was invited. She asked me to go help her pick out a gift for you." Eddie swapped hands, and fisted his newly freed hand in Micah's shirt collar, growling, "Now you better act d$^% surprised because Jill is going through A MOUNTAIN of crap just to throw this shebang." His voice entered an even more threatening register, "Or else. Do you understand?"

Micah nodded. Eddie continued in his normal tone, "Okay, good. Now did you really have to hit me?! Good grief, that sucked! You didn't even punch me properly!" Eddie stood up and made his way back to the kitchen, tossing the thawed peas onto the counter and fishing out a bag of ice.

Micah faced Adrian, who was fiddling with an empty silver flask, "So you knew?"

Adrian snorted, "Of course! Who do you think is supplying the kitchen to make the cake? By the way, low blow, accusing Eddie of doing something like that. Like groin shot low. Next time, don't jump to conclusions. Now the both of you, get out of here, you've already given me enough of a headache. I'm too young to be dealing with this sort of nonsense."

* * *

**9. No boyfriend/ girlfriend stealing. Also covered in rules 5 and 8.**

Dmitri Belikov had a short list of actions in his life he was guilty about. Topping that list was the innumerable, unspeakable things he had done as a Strigoi, but coming a close second was what he called "The Adrian Affair", which summed it all up quite elegantly, taking it all into context of course. It involved Adrian, and it was an affair since Rose technically was cheating on Adrian with him. It went against everything he believed in, every moral thing he thought he stood for, so he supposed he was a hypocrite. The look on Rose's face, Adrian's, still haunted him in a very morbid, unsettling way. And Adrian had thought of him like a friend; the worst betrayal Dmitri was sure he had ever committed. He glanced at the letter he was writing to his only nephew, about to officially enter the world of adulthood by becoming a Guardian.

_As a piece of final advice, nephew, always do what is morally right, in all matters of life. The consequences are awful to experience, and are none I wish that you ever experience._

* * *

**10. Do unto others as you want done unto yourself. **

Sydney eyed Trey as he worked the foam machine, "Trey, you know, I know someone who's just your type."

Trey snapped off the machine, then turned to Sydney, "Melbourne, stop this before it gets out of hand. Not interested." He handed her her overly complex order, made perfectly.

Angeline took a sip of her frappuccino, "That's not fair Trey, you set her up with What's-His-Face, she can try and set you up too. That's the way it works." As Sydney turned away from the pair to snag the receipt the cashier was handing her, Angeline leaned forward and whispered, "This is a terrible idea – I may not like you much, but take my advice, run and hide!"

Trey's eyes widened in terror, and he hurriedly busied himself with the complex machines behind the counter as Sydney returned, "Sydney, I'm going to have to decline, I have a date and you know, that's kind of rude to be dating two people at the same time, I mean, I wouldn't want someone to date me and someone else at the same time."

Sydney smiled, "Oh, okay. Nevermind then. See you later!"

As Angeline sipped her frappuccino, she was sure she heard a sigh of relief from behind her.

* * *

**11. A friend will know to call you on your bulls****, because a friend will know that something's wrong even if you're smiling.**

Lissa twirled in the full skirts that she would wear to her sister's debut. It was a timeless piece, elegant vintage lines, clearly couture, and it fit Lissa like a glove. If the maids were to be believed, every Dragomir matriarch had worn it to the next generation's debut. Rose watched from her post in the corner, as the flurry of skirts rustled around the Queen.

Lissa dismissed them , "Thank you, that will be all for now." The maids scurried out, curtseying with ease of practice; Lissa had yet to figure out a way to politely ask them not to without offending them. "So, what do you think?"

Rose moved swiftly to hug her best friend, and waited until Lissa finally broke down. "I think that sometimes you need to remember to take off your poker face when it's safe, especially among friends."

* * *

**12. Friends will know the entire secret lingo, like code names and shorthand you use to refer to other people when there's company present. And they will respond accordingly.**

"Remember He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named? His new girlfriend is hideous!"

"No way! Seriously? Well, The Lying Snake was busted as of two hours ago. We were laughing so hard in history, I was on the verge of tears."

"That must have felt great! Did anyone record it?"

"Yeah, I think that Two Face B-witch did, it's supposed to be on YouTube by now."

"Okay, let me check Facebook. Oh, wait, Idiot with a Sword is stalking me, he keeping waiting in Invisible in chat until I log in, and then he blitz attacks me and tries to have a conversation all nonchalantly and all."

"That's super creepy." The sound of a straw being sucked on, then, "But wait, isn't Glasses going out with him?!"

Angeline surreptitiously leaned over and whispered into Sydney's ear, "Do you have any idea what they're saying?"

Sydney shook her head, "I'd tell it's all Greek to me, but I speak Greek."

* * *

**13. Friends will hate your exs automatically. It's part of the Code.**

Sydney stared at Rose, who's head was currently blown up on her laptop's screen. "Wait, Adrian's one of your ex's? D***."

Rose laughed, "Look at you, breaking out the big girl swear words. Yeah, Adrian is. IS that an issue?"

Sydney laughed sardonically, "Yeah, it is. According to the Rules, friends automatically hate each other's ex's. I can't hate someone I have to work with."

Rose looked as if she was about to answer with something corny, but then looked startled. "Aw, crap Sydney, I've got to jet. Training the newbies." She laughed evilly, cracking her knuckles. "And they say Christmas never comes early…" The chat shut off.

Sydney sighed, then whispered to herself, "Yeah, it's rather hard to hate someone you might just have fallen in love with."

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on a tic, what's the Code?" Micah looked around at everyone over the top of the sheaf of Rules. "Has anyone heard of the Code? I thought there were only the Rules!"

Eddie shook his head, "Dude, you've never heard of the Code? Where have you been, living under a rock?" Micah scanned the group, and saw them all nodding in agreement, even Sydney.

"Oh, no. Oh, no no no no! This can't be real. This has to be a dream. Someone punch me!" There was a resounding noise of flesh hitting flesh. "Ow, Eddie, it didn't have to be that hard!"

Angeline grabbed the smoothie she had left on the picnic bench and slurped up some Strawberry Kiwi. "Does this give anyone else déjà vu?"

* * *

**A/N: And, roll credits! Yes, yes, we are done! Thank you to my fans, etcetera etcetera. That's all and good night, up until I have something new to publish. Oh, and have a Happy End of The World As We Know It, or Christmas 2012, whichever comes first.**

**P.S. – Note to readers who reread this in the future, if there is a future: this last chapter was published on 12/21/2012. Look it up if you're feeling peckish. It's good for laughs. **


End file.
